Here is a spectacular video mix from our friends at Hoops4Life. Destinies Defined portrays every player’s dream to win a Championship. The journey they take to achieve their destiny is what defines them as a player. The hustle, ambition, determination, struggle, pain and heart all define individuals as winners. But only the very best are good enough to become a Champion. The Miami Heat, and LeBron James, stepped forward this year and all the critics and doubters have been silenced.

On last week’s episode of SLAM Radio, Celtics forward Brandon Bass spoke about his love for the Celtics organization and their Playoff loss to the Heat. The upcoming free agent also picked the Heat to win the Finals. For the rest of last week’s episode, listen here.

At least that’s what the players are saying, and that’s what it feels like down here in Miami.

On one hand, it’s all just a bad cliché. Every game in the Finals is a must-win, every game’s a Game 7, yada yada yada. On the other hand, when it comes to tonight’s game that might actually very well be the case.

From the Oklahoma City Thunder’s point of view, obviously, tonight is a must-win. Like, it’s really a must-win. If they do not win tonight, the series and the season is over. So it makes sense that OKC feels like it’s a do-or-die Game 5.

When it comes to the Miami Heat, things are only slightly murkier. No, they don’t technically have to win tonight. If they lose, they’ll still have two more chances to close out the series. Problem is, those two games would take place on the road, in Oklahoma City, with oodles of pressure compounding the already difficult task at hand. LeBron, DWade and Co. want to no part of that.

All that in mind, yeah, it’s probably pretty fair for both teams to refer to tonight’s game as Game 7. And all that in mind, we are definitely in for one heckuva Game 5

I arrived here, at American Airlines Arena, at four p.m., and I’ll be here well into the wee hours of night. If you want, feel free to come along for the ride.

PREGAME NOTES

8:39 PM: Kevin Durant was the first player on either team to take the court for warmups (Daequan Cook came out of the tunnel with him). Not that he usually doesn’t, but he looked uberfocused. Russell Westbrook, though, seemed to be in his usual coolin’ mode when seen in the locker room shortly thereafter, browsing on his phone and sharing laughs with lockermate, Eric Maynor. Hard to say which approach is better: the extrafocused one, or the regular game one.

8:42 PM: Miami’s locker room was a zoo. Hundreds (OK, maybe dozens) of media and only one or two players. Ever the savvy vet, when LeBron emerged he plugged his iPod into the speakers and turned his music all the way up. No one bothers you when the music is that loud (unless you’re at the club). Also, funny, little-used Heat Terrel Harris whipped out his phone and started recording the media circus in the locker room. He said, “Why not? If you can record us, we can record you. Why not?” It was pretty funny, and made some people uncomfortable.

8:45 PM: OKC took the court to the expected chorus of boos. Miami emerged moments later to loud cheers. Arena is pretty full considering their late-arriving reputation. Be interesting to see what kind of fans are here tonight, considering tickets were going on the second-hand market for over $20 Gs.

8:47 PM: Three minutes until the anthem, lineups and all that. Finna chill now ’till gametime.

FIRST QUARTER

9:04 PM: 9:07 is the official tip-off time. Or as LeBron deemed it yesterday, “Midnight.”

9:08 PM: Welp, Kevin Durant with the first turnover of the game, and it leads to a big dunk by LeBron James.

9:10 PM: Seems like Heat ran the same play to open this game and last, both of which led to Chris Bosh jumpers (Game 4 made; Game 5 missed).

9:11 PM: Kendrick Perkins with the rebound and the immediate outlet pass. Perhaps OKC is trying to rin more tonight?

9:12 PM: Another turnover. If I had to describe this series I’d say All-Star game like, albeit with defense.

9:13 PM: Durant with the little backdown, fadeaway J over LeBron. KD’s made it clear through his play and words that he doesn’t think LBJ can guard him.

9:14 PM: A foul is called on Durant…and the fans go wild.

9:16 PM: The ever-loquacious Shane Battier with his first three of the game. Goes without saying, his bombs have been a major part of Heat’s success this series. Meanwhile, OKC is not cherishing the ball like Perkins urged them to. Russ and KD each already have thrown an errant pass.

9:19 PM: It took an and-one by James for the “MVP” chants to rain down. He earned another round with another and-one on the ensuing possession. At the six-minute mark the Heat lead the Thunder, 16-10.

9:24 PM: A lot of turnovers (5). A lot of fouls called (9). Not really what fans necessarily want to see.

9:28 PM: Chris Bosh fakes Perkins out of his mellon and finishes with uncontested dunk. People around me wondering, Nick Collison time?

9:30 PM: OKC trails by seven, 22-15, with under four minutes left in the first. They’re struggling in every facet of the game right now. Hopefully that extended-by-TV timeout gave them time to regroup.

9:31 PM: Out of that TO, a play designed to for a Russ Westbrook three ends with the ball stuck between the rim and backboard. Why not design the play for Durant, though? He’s still the better shooter of the two.

9:33 PM: Norris Cole, early hero in Game 4, checks into the game after a poor play by Chalmers. See if he can bring the magic again.

9:35 PM: Mike Miller has already hit a pair of treys this game. A few years ago, even when the Heat signed him in 2010, that would’ve sounded natural. Now it sounds like a (pleasant) aberration for Miami.

9:37 PM: Mike Miller AND Norris Cole hitting threes? It was written.

9:38 PM: Dunno how it looked on TV, but in the arena it sure felt like the Heat dominated the first quarter. The fact that the Thunder are only down five, 31-26, should have them in good spirits. Could’ve been a lot worse.

9:40 PM: Heat hit four threes that quarter, and shot 57 percent overall. Thunder were 0-2 from deep, and shot 37.5 percent as a whole.

SECOND QUARTER

9:43 PM: Wow, charge called on Durant. That’s his second foul.

9:45 PM: Perkins is very vocal and active on OKC’s bench. Has wandered onto court a few times to cheer on teammates.

9:46 PM: Russ misses an open dunk, and Wade follows it with a tough tip-in. His shoe then becomes untied and the Heat are forced to burn a timeout. On the plus side, Wade’s signature Jordans just got a lot of air time on TV.

9:49 PM: I should have made this clear a game or two ago, but the in-arena music here at the AAA is horrendous. Both the selection and the volume is all wrong.

9:52 PM: Miami’s been steady getting that third and fourth producer all series. Tonight it’s Mike Miller’s turn, as he has a team-high 9 points right now. With James Harden doubled and Ibaka AWOL, Thunder are still looking for another scorer to emerge. Running out of time.

9:53 PM: No offense to Gerald Wallace, but Dwyane Wade has certainly earned the nickname “Crash.” Can he steal it, or share it or borrow it? “Floorburn” could work too for Wade.

9: 55 PM: Heat lead the Thunder, 41-34. Wade with 9, Bosh with 8, LeBron with 7. Westbrook has 11 and Durant has 9 for OKC.

9:59 PM: Bron just bullied Harden and the little guy didn’t even try to put up a fight. What’s going on with him? Still, was a big man finish by James, as Perk met him high and hard at the rim.

10:00 PM: Rio Chalmers throws a pass away…and James looks like he wants to strangle him.

10:01 PM: Man, Chris Bosh is showing out. He might’ve gotten more heat than Bron from media last year. After tonight, if this continues, he should feel some of the same love too.

10:03 PM: With that, DWade now has three fouls. Opens a door for OKC, have to kick it down.

10:05 PM: So this is the Mike Miller the Big Three so desperately wanted with them in Miami.

10:05 PM: KD needs to stop trying to pass. That’s the one thing he’s been incapable of doing tonight. Thrown away at least a couple balls.

10:06 PM: Even with Wade on the bench, Miami’s lead has ballooned to 15, 53-38.

10:07 PM: We’ve reached the point in the game where Danny Granger would take a swipe at LeBron or Dwyane.

10:09 PM: So Westbrook is 2-9 and Durant is 4-12. Those percentages equate to a four-letter word in OKC.

10:11 PM: Nah, Shane Battier did not just take Kevin Durant off the dribble! If that’s the case, OKC might as well not come out and play the second half. (As it stands now, Miami’s up, 57-45.)

10:15 PM: Ibaka needs more bunnies like that. He’s gotten them all year, but for some reason not this series.

10:17 PM: LeBron is digging deep into his magician’s hat tonight. Utilizing all kinds of game on the block. Fancy footwork and all.

10:19 PM: LeBron and the Heat are a half away from making it happen. They lead 59-49 at the break. (Though to be honest, walking to the tunnel KD doesn’t look too nervous.)

THIRD QUARTER

10:37 PM: Durant hits a three on the first possession of the fourth. Maybe OKC will make it a game yet. After all, all of first four contests have been close.

10:38 PM: And just like that it’s a five-point game. … And just like that, it’s not. Chris Bosh unsung hero here.

10:39 PM: Ibaka already has four this half. They need to keep going there.

10:40 PM: Chalmers and Battier with back-to-back threes. What the heck can OKC do about that?! Leads back up to 11, 67-56.

10:43 PM: It’s already after 1040 on east coast. Sucks to be a kid nowadays. No way too many of them can stay up all the way to the end of this one.

10:45 PM: James Harden checking into the game with eight minutes left in the third. If he has any game left in his system, now’s the time to exhaust it.

10:47 PM: Rio/KD showing some fight! Juwan Howard runs off the bench to pull Chalmers back. Might be his biggest contribution of the series. Of course, he’s on the verge of being an NBA Champ, so I can’t talk smack about Howard.

10:50 PM: Some fans are furiously waving the XVI-stamped towels that were given out tonight. (XVI, as imprinted on Bron’s mouthguard, stands for 16, the number of Playoff wins a Championship requires.)

10:51 PM: Every single time OKC looks ready to mount a comeback, a bucket by a lesser Heat player (i.e. non-Big Three) stymies it.

10:53 PM: “Like a Bosh,” an annoying phrase that TBJ popularized last season, is about to take on new meeting.

As I type this, there’s still five hours until Game 4 is set to get underway, and I’m sitting here at American Airlines Arena (AAA) getting ready for all of tonight’s action.

The players aren’t in the building right now—only suckers like me, and some hardworking folks, are—but since Game 3 the stars of the show have spent more than their fair share of time on this corner of Biscayne.

First, early yesterday afternoon, both teams, at separate times, were present at AAA for practice and media availability. That lasted a few hours, during which time at least one or two or three noteworthy things were said.

This morning, roughly 36 hours after Game 3 came to a conclusion, the players filed back onto the court for a lil shootaround. At this point in the season the players certainly don’t need the extra practice, and at this point in the series members of the media certainly don’t need the extra access—but routine is routine, and no one wants to alter their habits during these crucial days.

So shots were up put up (Kevin Durant hits just about every jumper he takes, as you could imagine), stairs were run (Eric Maynor, who’s recovering from a torn ACL, and a slew of others worked their way around the entirety of the arena), and, of course, a few more semi-noteworthy things were said.

It’s five hours until tip now, though, and players are probably in their hotel rooms and houses right now, in the final stages of their pre-game meals, naps and accessorizing before they make their way back to AAA.

Their past two trips to this arena have been pressure-free and, maybe, even cathartic. Tonight, though, with the fans back in the orange-and-red seats and 48 minutes on the clock, it’s back to Finals reality for the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Game time.

FIRST QUARTER

8:51 PM: About fifteen minutes ago Rick Carlisle the NBA Coaches Association presented Pat Riley with the Chuck Daly lifetime achievement award. After Carlisle’s intro, Riley took to the dais and made his own remarks. In case anyone had forgotten, during a 10 or so minute session, Riley reminded them of his oratory skills. He absolutely killed the Q+A session. He didn’t say too much that’s worth sharing right now, except that he doesn’t miss coaching at all (and he said that he and Coach Spo don’t meet, they collaborate).

8:59 PM: Could just be my section but I actually think that Shane Battier (and Dwyane Wade) got the loudest applause when introduced.

9:02 PM: Final pre-game note. Not much was said at either coach’s presser before the game. But when Coach Spo was asked about how the player’s deal with all the off-court distractions they’ve been dealing with, he answered: “Well, the reality is that this is our family away from our families…So things on on the outside, they always know that this is a place that they can come to that’s safe, that’s a safe haven for all of our players. We’ve built up a nice community here.”

9:06 PM: …And so it finally begins. Game 4. Pleasure to be here with y’all tonight.

9:08 PM: Somewhat of a sloppy start to the game. Nerves, jitters, whatever cause may be.

9:08 PM: It’s interesting to watch Battier/Perkins match-up. Yesterday Perk said that he finds it “disturbing” that Battier is on. He’d like to see the ball in the post more when that happens.

9:10 PM: This is, by a longshot, OKC’s best start to any game this series, as they lead 11-3.

9:18 PM: Since calling a timeout after falling behind 13-3, Miami has had a lot more energy, attacking the rim. Scores stands at 15-10 now, and Serge Ibaka is on the bench with two fouls.

9:20 PM: LeBron went after that pass like he did some flag football ones back when KD’s team played Bron’s during the lockout.

9:21 PM: Frantic sequence there had the fans on their ooh and ahhh toes. Meanwhile, the Heat might not have a top-2o point guard on their roster, but they have at least three guys on the team (Wade, LeBron and Rio Chalmers) who can zipline a pass through traffic on a pick and roll.

9:23 PM: Russ Westbrook off to a pretty fast start, with 8 points and 2 dimes. While he was warming up before game, a group of fans were heckling him. He laughed it off then, and he’s laughing at them right now.

9:25 PM: Miami’s Big Three so far are a combined 5-14. Not surprisingly, the Heat trail 25-12.

9:29 PM: How Norris Cole got his groove back? By going back to his college flat-top box cut. When I asked him before the game if he was trying to get his triple-double mojo back from Cleveland State, Cole laughed heartily.

9:33 PM: Miami’s been the more desperate team in first three games of this series. OKC was the more desperate team in that quarter, though, with the series seemingly at stake tonight. After one, Thunder lead the Heat, 33-19.

9:36 PM: Despite the large deficit, the Miami fans are on their feet. Such a different atmosphere than last year’s Finals.

9:39 PM: Norris Cole doing his best Shane Battier impersonation. He has eight points in four minutes of play.

9:41 PM: Houston (or should I say OKC), we have a ball game. Lead down to seven for OKC after a quick spurt my Miami.

9:42 PM: Nick Collison leads the Thunder with six points off the bench. James Harden, however, is still sort of AWOL. He has two on 1-3 shooting.

9:45 PM: LeBron has been playing BIG again tonight. Been battling in the post and has five boards. Whereas when his jumper was off last Finals and he struggled, he’s adapted this time around and is scoring and contributing around the cup.

9:47 PM: With that Dwyane Wade three, we have ourselves a tie game.

9:47 PM: …And with that Durant answer we now don’t.

9:49 PM: A Harden three pushes the lead back to five, 40-35, and Miami burns a quick timeout to reassess the situation. LeBron looks dog tired right now on the bench.

9:51 PM: If Dwyane Wade wasn’t officially hurt coming into this series, he is now. Trainers appear to be looking at his back. (He stays in the game, though.)

9:54 PM: I know he spent a lot of time on the bench with two fouls, but that was Serge Ibaka’s first shot. He needs to be more active. Needs to make Mia’s bigs work on that end of the court.

9:56 PM: Remember when Ibaka had a perfect 11-11 game two weeks back? Where is that player at?

9:57 PM: I’m not sure any member of the Heat plays to the crowd better than Bosh.

9:58 PM: It took Durant nearly 20 minutes of PT tonight to get called for his first foul. He might not be happy with the charge call, but not as bad as it’s been for him previous two games.

10:00 PM: Westbrook hits the J and then takes the charge from LeBron. He’s here to play tonight (16 pts, 3 asts, 2 rbs). Can’t wait to hear people try to knock him after this one.

10:03 PM: James is two points, two assists and four rebounds from a triple-double. For them to win tonight, they’re gonna need one from him.

10:04 PM: Battier just had a great defensive possession. First he denied KD the ball, and then he fell on the loose ball. And to top it off, then he got tangled with Westbrook, who looks mighty upset at him.

10:05 PM: OKC is up one, 47-46, with 45 seconds left in the half.

10:06 PM: Battier misses a shot off a Bron pass, and we’ve reached the half. The Thunder lead the Heat, 49-46, after squandering a 14-point lead after one. Westbrook has 18, Durant has 12. James and Wade have 10. Bosh and Cole have eight.

10:20 PM: Miami won that second quarter, 27-16. That is their best non-first quarter since the Finals began (at least in terms of point differential).

SECOND HALF

10:27 PM: LeBron James, y’all. That pass was magic. That pass was Magic.

10:28 PM: After Miami took their first lead since the opening seconds, Killa Durant answered with a nice, calm three.

10:29 PM: No one has worked harder or studied more film that Kendrick Perkins this series. Unfortunately, things aren’g going his way, proper matchups aren’t necessarily there. It’s not for a lack of effort, though.

10:31 PM: Take a second and appreciate this ball, folks. It doesn’t get any better than this. Game’s being played at the highest level by the best players on the biggest stage. Hasn’t been the case all series (or game).

10:32 PM: A pair of freebies from Wade gives Miami a 61-60 lead. We’re officially on the see-saw.

10:33 PM: OKC needs more on defense from Thabo Sefolosha, and more on both ends from Ibaka. KD and Russ can’t do more than they already are. Heat have their largest lead of the game, 64-60.

10:38 PM: LeBron getting physical with Kevin Durant. It’s like one writer who I respect said at shootaround this morning, It’s Game 4 of the Finals, people need to start knocking people to the floor.

10:40 PM: The refs seem to be waiting to see if the ball goes in or not before making their call. It’s sort of weird, sort of like you’d see at the Y.

11:11 PM: Russ is putting the Thunder on his shoulders right now. He has 37, and they’re within 2. He’s getting to the cup, same as past few games, tonight he’s just finishing better.

11:16 PM: OKC has hit three threes so far this game. Miami’s connected on nine of them.

11:17 PM: After falling to the floor, Bron didn’t make it back on defense. His reward? a cherry-picked bucket. Not a fan of getting rewarded for not playing D, but oh well. Worked out in this instance.

11:18 PM: Umm, LeBron was just carried off the court. Stays on the bench, though, no locker room visit.

11:20 PM: James seems to be stretching his leg on the sidelines. Maybe serious, maybe nothing. Will let you know soon as we’re told something.

11:23 PM: Real talk: Battier can’t guard Durant without fouling him. It’s up to the refs, however, to decide whether they want to call it or not.

11:24 PM: As LeBron heads to scorer’s table to check back in, crowd picks up on it, goes wild.

11: 25 PM: My man with the PA mic needs to chill. He’s drowning out the fan noise with his overly loud voice.

11:26 PM: Tied at 94, three minutes to play in the game. This is where heroes are born.

11:27 PM: Hero! James for three!

11:27 PM: Hero! Wade for a driving two! Miami now leads, 99-94, with two minutes left to play.

11:32 PM: Is LeBron hurting so bad right now that it’s a Rookie of the Year situation? He can’t actually do anything, perhaps, but you still have to respect him just in case. I’m not saying that definitively, just asking.

11:34 PM: Rio Chalmers just blew by Russ. For all the crap he takes from his teammates at times, Chalmers is a big-time player. See 2008, NCAA title game, if you have any questions. Miami leads by five, 101-96.

11:36 PM: Westbrook with another driving bucket. I can’t wait to see how somebody tries putting tonight’s loss on Russ.

11:38 PM: WoW. Miami takes Game 4. They now have a chance to close out the series at home on Thursday night. I’ll be back then, and so should you.

Welcome to Miami, home of humidity, the Heat, and Game 3 of the 2012 NBA Finals.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year. A year since a Finals game last took place in American Airlines Arena. A year since the Dallas Mavericks defeated the much-hyped Heat in Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals. A year since the Mavericks walked off into the lockout-lengthened summer as a Champs. A year since the Heat players limped off into their first post-Decision summer as, well, failures.

It’s not hard to believe we’re back here for the 2012 Finals, though. Yeah, there were moments of doubt over the course of the postseason—especially in the Eastern Conference Finals, when Boston had two chances to knock the Heat out. Overall, though, overall the dynamic play of LeBron James, erratic brilliance of Dwyane Wade, and mended abdominals of Chris Bosh made Miami the favorites to come out of the East all along.

The Oklahoma City Thunder is somewhat of a less obvious Finals participant than the Heat. They had a tougher path to get here—having to go through the Mavericks, L.A. Lakers and San Antonio Spurs—and lacked the hype—though not the talent—of some of the other teams out West.

They’re here in the Finals, though, and just because they weren’t the obvious team to emerge from the West doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous. In the first two games—which took place in Oklahoma City thanks to their home-court advantage—despite only achieving a 1-1 split, OKC gave Miami everything they could handle. First quarters aside (which Miami won, 29-22 and 27-15), OKC was not outscored in any other quarter in either game. More than that, they were +17 on the Heat in the two fourth quarters combined. Between Kevin Durant, Russ Westbrook and James Harden (not to mention the Serge Ibaka and the bench), the Thunder has shown they have more than enough firepower.

All of that—the first quarters, the fourth quarters, LeBron’s play, KD’s play—is in the past, though. It’s last week’s news, washed away by a plane ride and an extended weekend of practice. As Coach Spoelstra said yesterday, “Today starts the bunker mentality… We know how this works in the Playoffs. They’ve had two days probably to get beat up, and people have come up with whatever storyline and motivation for them.”

It’s not easy to predict how the shift in scenery will impact the series. It is easy to predict, though, that tonight’s game in Miami should be every bit as exciting as the first two in OKC.

Welcome to Miami, home of heat, the next three Finals games, and, potentially, the 2012 NBA Champions.

7:59 PM: Player intros: Both teams come out to Kanye West. And now, immediately after intros, “Moment for Life,” an older Nicki Minaj song is blaring. Way too many fans know the lyrics and are singing along.

8:04 PM: SLAM’s media seat is located right near an in-arena bar/grill/restaurant, so I’m pretty much typing in the dark here. Apologize in advance for any typos.

8:05 PM: As I noted when I arrived at the arena four hours ago, here are the t-shirts they left for fans sitting in the lower bowl.

8:06 PM: Funny pre-game locker room note. Some young reporter asked Russ Westbrook if he would answer questions. Russ told him to look at the clock. It said 76 minutes until game time. Russ said I speak at 75 minutes. The guy said, “So that’s another minute?” Russ said yes, and then laughed. He answered first question at exactly 75 minute mark.

FIRST QUARTER

8:07 PM: We have basketball! Chris Bosh misses the game’s first shot; Thabo Sefolsha misses the second. And then Bosh makes the first on an easy dunk. (And then Thabo scores OKC’s first.) All tied at 2.

8:10 PM: Three dunks already so far in this game (Bosh, Perkins, Wade). Crowd is actually pretty loud. Louder than I ever recall them being in the deciding Game 6 of last year’s Finals.

8:13 PM: Wow, another slow start for OKC, as they trail 10-4 and are forced to call timeout. This is not what they were hoping for, especially after struggling to start Games 1 and 2.

8:15 PM: The Viper, Pete Vecsey, is sitting two seats over from me. Can’t wait to hear his running commentary on this game.

8:17 PM: Kendrick Perkins, a personal favorite of mine, already has four points. That matches his totals from both Game 1 and 2.

8:23 PM: Welp, internet here just got wonky, and I ended up losing my last three notes. Bottom line: Thunder have played well since their early timeout. Still trail by two, 16-14.

8:24 PM: Worth noting that Kevin Durant was off on pull-up threes when he was warming up a few hours back. At one point he missed five in a row from the shoulder. Yelled at himself after each miss.

8:26 PM: LeBron is punishing OKC in the post. Really putting in work down there. Something he started doing more of this season. And something he’s really started doing ever since Chris Bosh’s ECSF injury.

8:28 PM: If the noise in OKC was deafening, here it’s just annoying. I mean, the fan noise is GREAT…but there’s a drum that’s being banged incessantly about 20 feet from press row.

8:32 PM: James Harden is one of my favorite players in the NBA. I just wish he didn’t feel the need to exaggerate every time a defender makes contact with him. I know you’re stronger than that, James!

8:34 PM At the end of the first quarter, Miami leads OKC, 26-20. They’re now 3-0 in first quarters this series (and oh-for in the every other quarter).

SECOND QUARTER

8:39 PM: LeBron James takes a seat for the first time tonight. He has 12 points and 5 rebounds.

8:43 PM: Word has it on press row that Jeff Van Gundy just compared Russ Westbrook to his former point guard, Stevie Francis. Thoughts?

8:44 PM: Dunno if edict comes from coach or not, but Thunder pgs are putting pressure on the ball as soon as Miami inbounds it.

8:46 PM: Miami holds a 30-27 lead at the nine-minute mark of the second quarter.

10:22 PM: Getting a little chippy out there as the clock ticks towards zero. With six minutes to go, Miami leads by one. (For the record, and for comparison, the Heat are 24/27 from the line. That’s 89 percent.)

10:24 PM: “Clock is ticking. Let’s see what you’ve got,” reads the pump-up promo on the jumbotron.

10:28 PM: Careless turnover, OKC. They look a lil young and flustered right about now. Heat by four, 81-77, with four to play.

10:29 PM: Another careless turnover, followed by an and-one from LBJ. He has 26 (after hitting the FT) and 12 boards.

10:33 PM: James Harden struggling something fierce right now. His line reads something like a nightmare: 2/10 shooting, 9 points, two late turnovers.

10:35 PM: LeBron James making tonight count. He’s gonna have no regrets, as he said he wouldn’t before Game 1.

10:36 PM: Two big FTs from Kendrick Perkins. They’ve been looking for a third contributor tonight, and, by default, he’s been it. He has 10.

10:37 PM: Wow. And just like that, after Thabo and Russ buckets, we have a one-point game. Heat lead Thunder, 86-85, less than two minutes to play.

10:39 PM: Chris Bosh has had a tough shooting night (3/12), but he’s continued to work. Has 11 boards, and just hit two big freebies to make this a three-point game.

10:42 PM: Harden’s rep as flopper hurts in situations like that. Not gonna get benefit of doubt.

10:44 PM: Miami has hit 14 more fts than OKC. That’s obviously a major factor in this four-point lead with 16 ticks left to play.

It’s a half hour or so before Game 2′s tip-off, and I’m here on press row in Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena, ready as anything for this tilt to get going. It was sticky-hot today in OKC, which I know a little too well because I just spent a few minutes walking around and taking photos of fans scattered about the area surrounding the arena—we’ll have a gallery up at some point during the next few days—and now I feel like I just played a few minutes of hoops myself.

Speaking of working up a sweat, the most noteworthy pre-game nugget I’ve got is that Dwyane Wade put in a serious workout two hours ago, practicing everything from mid-range jumpers to one-legged runners to free throws way before fans were allowed through the entrance gates. By the time he was through, Wade looked like he needed a breather in the middle of a tough-fought fourth quarter, and the whole situation felt pretty telling—here’s guessing Miami’s shooting guard plans to be much more aggressive tonight as he attempts to give LeBron James a much-needed hand with the scoring load.

Anyway, we’ll officially kick this thing off in a few, once the opening tip is tossed and this rowdy crowd settles down a bit. Uh, kidding—no need to harp on this oft-discussed point any longer, but yeah, they’re loud as hell in here, and in a huge upset, absolutely loving this Wiz Khalifa song. Back soon!

FIRST QUARTER

12:00 — I don’t think there’s a group of human beings on the planet capable of clapping in unison to a beat as well as this crowd is. And to hip-hop music! In Oklahoma City! Hands down the biggest upset of the Playoffs. Alright, tip-off time.

11:57 — Maybe the ugliest tip I’ve ever seen. Both guys swatted at the rock like it was a fly circling their heads until one of them batted it out of bounds. Thunder ball.

11:08 — First points of the game come from a Shane Battier 3-pointer. This feels familiar.

9:10 — Kevin Durant gives the Thunder their first points with an elbow jumper. 5-2, Miami.

8:40 — It does look like DWade is trying to get more involved offensively. He’s already drive to the hoop a few times (resulting in either pass-outs or misses), but just got there and finished with a strong dunk.

8:00 — A couple possessions later and Wade is blocked by Ibaka, riling up this crowd even further, as if that was a possibility.

6:58 — Chris Bosh completes a fast break—but bricks the and-1 freebie—to make it 11-2, Miami. Heat coming out strong on offense and OKC is slow to get their offense going, once again. Lot of Game 1 similarities here tonight.

6:36 — Timeout with Heat up 13-2. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who gets a nice reaction from the crowd, is in the house and cheering for the Thunder.

5:30 — Another Shane Battier 3. That guy sure is making his mark these days. 16-2, Heat. Crowd a little restless but still making noise, seemingly unaware that this is a pretty terrible start.

4:40 — LeBron puts in a turn-around to make it 18-2. “O-K-C” cheers break out regardless.

4:00 — A Thunder 3-pointer is followed by a Wade runner. 20-5.

3:40 — Kevin Durant picks up his second foul. Not good for OKC at all. Nor is the score: 21-6, MIA.

2:15 — Nice ball movement leads to a Russell Westbrook lay-up. 25-10 Miami into a timeout. Great start for Miami but leads like that tend to evaporate as quickly as their created in the Playoffs. No reason for Heat fans to celebrate just yet.

1:17 — A James Harden jumper followed by a Miami offensive foul has the crowd riled up once again. 25-12.

0:35 — A Thunder are down 13 and the entire crowd is standing up and clapping. Really bizarre. Then Mike Miller free throws make it 27-12. Still standing.

27-15 after one. Unbelievable play from the Heat, who are doing exactly what they’d like to do on offense and are slowing OKC down on defense as much as they could possibly hope to. And yet, it’s tough not to imagine this lead disappearing after one quick Thunder run—as you know, we’ve kinda seen that happen before—but for the time being Miami’s making things happen in pretty impressive fashion.

SECOND QUARTER

Little game of “Who Am I?” during the break, in which a fan has to guess which player is being described given a few clues. It’s Reggie Jackson, and the fan gets it correct, which, well, nice work, lady. Good stuff.

11:14 — There was a song playing during the downtime between quarters that included the lyrics, “Oklahomaaaaaa, Okay!” It was weird. Anyway, Serge Ibaka grabs a strong offensive rebound and gets fouled putting it back up. Two shots: Wet, wet. 29-17 Heat.

10:30 — A Thunder turnover turns into a Norris Cole lay-up, and it does so a lot more easily than you’d imagine. Derek Fisher follows that up with a jumper. 33-19.

9:33 — Kevin Durant returns to the floor after sitting a bit, while James Harden drains a pair of freebies. 33-21 Miami. Everything feels very Tuesday night-ish.

8:19 — Serge Ibaka post move alert! Nice up-and-under for the bucket. Then a Miami turnover is followed by a James Harden lay-in, making it 35-25. Timeout, MIA, who’s up 35-25. Some kind of 70s funk (!) that I should probably be able to place is cranking during this TO.

8:19 — Garland from section 308 is shooting free throws during the timeout so that he can potentially win…something. Not sure what.

8:19 — Garland wins a phone plan of sorts and a year of free Internet. That’s a lot of free Internet! He doesn’t seem very excited.

6:30 — A DWade bucket followed by a KD jumper. That’s Durant’s third and fourth point, which is crazy. He’s gotta get going.

5:30 — Shane Battier, insanely relevant. He hits another 3 before a timeout, making it 42-29. The crowd boos at a missed goaltending call a couple of possessions back. “Kiss Cam” time.

3:00 — Technical difficulties! A pair of IT guys needed to mess with a router beneath the table on press row right where I’m sitting, so I was relegated to stand awkwardly behind them for a few minutes while they went to work. Anyway, 48-34 Heat with the Thunder unsuccessfully attempting to pick up some light momentum.

2:08 — A Mario Chalmers 3 makes it 51-34 Miami, so OKC calls a 20-second timeout. There’s a Heat radio dude calling this game a few seats from me, and he’s going completely nuts.

5:40 — A Battier 3-pointer leads into an offensive foul by OKC. Timeout with Miami up 70-55. Durant is clearly looking to get going, but isn’t getting many opportunities—the Heat are watching him closely and the Thunder aren’t exactly feeding him. Anyway, t-shirts are raining down from the roof. No big deal.

5:40 — There’s a “Flex Cam” thing going on during this break, in which the camera pans on fans and they have to flex their biceps. Not exactly causing a Kiss Cam-type of reaction. Not exactly causing any type of reaction.

4:57 — A pair of Kendrick Perkins makes it 70-57. This is right when OKC started to take over momentum and make their run last night, so it’ll be interesting to see if that happens again. So far, no go.

4:19 — And just like that a nice Russell Westbrook move to the rim leads to a lay-in, which leads to a 70-59 game, which leads to a Miami timeout, which leads to WAY too much Ke$ha.

4:19 – Hi SLAM family! Tracy here next to Adam taking over for a quick second!

4:19 – Kevin Durant scored 17 points in the fourth quarter of game 1. If OKC doesn’t get closer by end of third, he may have to have a repeat performance.

Westbrook misses a 3 to end the third. Handing the blog back to Adam! If you haven’t checked out a game in OKC yet, I would definitely recommend it. The atmosphere is unlike anywhere else. Send in your Game 2 thoughts!

FOURTH QUARTER

OK, Adam here again. Heat up 78-67 at the break…had a feeling OKC would make a similar run during the third quarter as they did during Game 1, but Heat stood their ground well. Had an answer for just abut every Thunder bucket, and Oklahoma City’s stars haven’t picked up steam—Westbrook is shooting 6-18 while KD is an efficient but relatively quiet 7-13.

11:34 — Derek Fisher misses a 3 that would’ve made this place explode. 80-69 Miami after a DWade runner.

10:20 — After missing a shot, some extra energy leads to Kevin Durant picking up his fifth foul. With 10+ minutes remaining in the game. Eeeeeek.

9:40 — Durant remains on the floor with five fouls.

9:31 — James Harden called for an offensive foul, and the barrage of Thunder fouls has this crowd legitimately pissed.

8:30 — KD finishes a fastbreak with a dunk and this crowd immediately converts negative energy into positive energy. Another one of those unbelievably in-unison clap-chants going on, as Heat maintain an 82-74 lead. And now people are using trampolines to deliver high-flying jams. Always cooler when the mascot is doing it.

8:00 — LeBron misses a runner and Thunder gain possession, then James Harden sneaks right to the hole for a bucket. 82-76 Heat. Here they come.

7:30 — Dwyane Wade gets to the line and hits just one. Not a good way to curb momentum there. 83-76.

6:30 — A missed Derek Fisher 3 then a Chris Bosh dunk. 85-76.

6:00 — Two Kevin Durant freebies, then a Heat turnover, then a Westbrook and-1. Russ drew contact, flew underneath the hoop, reached back and somehow put in a lay-up despite a ton of contact from LeBron. Wow. Sinks the free throw, too. 85-81 Heat. This crowd smells blood.

5:30 — A clutch DWade floater is followed by another successful Harden dribble-drive. 87-83 Heat.

5:00 — Who is this Shane Battier guy? Another 3. Kevin Durant answers with a 3, and the crowd answers KD’s 3 with LOUD NOISES.

4:30 — LeBron draws contact headed to rack, and the foul leads to a timeout. 90-86, Miami. A cannon is shooting t-shirts into the crowd and it doesn’t really seem to be hyping up anybody more than they were already hyped up, which is fascinating to me. That cannon does serious work in most arenas, but here everybody’s going so wild that it’s impossible to tell if the got morehype, because they were that hype to begin with.

4:30 — Two freebies for LeBron to restart the game: Good, good. 92-86.

3:24 — Both teams are trading misses. Thunder ball after a LeBron pass is stolen. Same score.

3:20 — Battier’s third foul sends Kevin Durant to the line. By the way, Battier’s got 17. KD misses the first (what?) then sinks the second. 92-87 Miami.

2:05 — The guy calling radio up here is going BONKERS. Both teams trade turnovers, followed by a Russell Westbrook finish on a fastbreak. 94-91. Timeout Miami.

1:47 — I want you know, I said I want you to know babyyyyyy. As if this crowd needs an excuse to shout.

1:47 — Now waaaaiiiiiiiiit you a minuuuutteee.

1:47 — A newspaper writer up here just turned to me and said, “This is murder to write.” Must be. Heat ball.

1:25— LeBron bounces to the outside and finishes with a bank shot. 96-91.

1:11 — Timeout, Miami up 96-91, Thunder ball. Huge possession coming up. Will say this: Heat should’ve tried a little harder to foul out Kevin Durant at some point in the past 10 minutes of action.

1:11 — Wait, the play was overturned after a replay. Heat ball…

0:55 — DWade circles a few defenders, heads to the rim, draws a double-team, then finds Chris Bosh under the hoop for a dunk. 98-91 Heat, and relatively speaking, this crowd is kinda quiet. Some even headed for the doors, which, come on, really? But only a couple of people, definitely not some big trend. It’ll be OKC ball after this timeout.

0:48 — Kevin Durant drives and picks up a quick bucket. Miami gets the ball in but gets caught in its own corner amidst a thick Thunder press, so calls a timeout.

0:30 — Thunder steal the ball and Kevin Durant gets the ball and he shoots a three and it’s good!!!!!!!!!

0:12 — Then LeBron counters with a 3-point attempt of his own and it’s no good and now it’s OKC ball and they’re down 2!!!!! SORRY BUT THIS CALLS FOR CAPS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!! 98-96 Heat, Thunder ball, 12 seconds remaining.

Here. We. Go.

0:07 — KD gets a decent look on the baseline but bricks it, Miami recovers, and LeBron gets fouled. Lot of contact on Durant’s attempt, but refs let ‘em play and there was no call made. Now Bron’s headed to the line.

0:07 — Wet, wet. 100-96 Miami. Thunder ball. Timeout.

0:00 — Russell Westbrook misses a deep, off-balanced 3 and that’s it. 100-96, Miami with the victory. Crazy. LeBron and KD both finish with 32, Westbrook winds up with 27, and DWade put in 24. And my eyes are spinning.

So yeah, that’s all I’ve got. Hell of a game. And to think, just like that, Miami now has control of the series, gaining homecourt advantage and loads of momentum and everything else that they could possibly ask for at this point in time with one huge victory. Game 3 is Sunday night and should be a great one—our man Tzvi Twersky will be liveblogging the madness straight from Miami.

Many thanks for following along, and feel free to hit the comment section with your thoughts on what just took place and some predictions on what we should expect during the remainder of the series.

Will this be the year LeBron silences his doubters and wins his first ring by defeating Kevin Durant and Co.? Posterizes.com celebrates Heat’s return to the NBA Finals with this unique wallpaper. Download this wall by clicking the links above, or by checking this link out: LeBron James Wallpaper.

Can Kevin Durant and the Thunder douse the Heat and take home the ultimate prize on the game’s biggest stage? Following OKC’s big Game 1 win, Posterizes.com welcomes the Thunder to the NBA Finals with this unique wallpaper. Download this wall by clicking the links above, or by checking this link out: Kevin Durant Wallpaper.

Captain Clutch, also known as Kevin Durant, was his usual spectacular self at Winning Time last night. Durant poured in 17 points in the fourth quarter, helping to secure a Game 1 victory for the young OKC Thunder in the NBA Finals.

Yo! I’m here at Chesapeake Energy Arena for Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and this place is rocking. Screams on yells on claps on drums, all piled up on top of one another to create this beautiful, only barely controlled chaos. Yeah, it’s pretty loud in here.

Which is no coincidence, because this city is crazy hyped. I walked around downtown Oklahoma City a little this afternoon, and if there was a single human being not wearing a Thunder tee, well, I didn’t see him/her. The area surrounding the arena is a straight madhouse, and as I sit here 30 minutes before tip-off typing this from my seat way up top, the walls are already vibrating from the 3/4 packed house (which will fill up all the way over the next half hour). I can barely hear myself think, which is OK, because all I’m thinking is afsjhsjklfhzfsgfsgdfxkhxjkdfhkjshdfse anyway.

What else is there to say? This should be incredible. I’ll be back in a few for tip-off.

FIRST QUARTER

12:00 — Still loud! There’s a Jock Jams-ish tune cranking (or maybe it’s just the actual Jock Jams?), and the entire crowd has an in-sync clap-clap-clap-clap thing going on. Very impressive. There’s also a dude standing on the handrail of a staircase dancing his ass off while disobeying every rule of safety you’ve ever been taught. Alright, tip-off time.

11:16 — First bucket comes on a Shane Battier three, from the exact spot he was practicing pre-game. Kevin Durant follows with a jumper, which means everyone is finally allowed to sit down. Some do, some don’t.

9:11 — Heat jump out to a 8-2 lead. Thunder look a little jittery, as could be expected.

7:50 — There’s a power outlet struggle going down on press row that I promise is much less entertaining than the game. Meanwhile, KD drains a 3 and this place turns upside-down. I have a feeling that might happen so often we’ll never have any idea whether the arena is upside-down or right-side up. 10-8 Miami.

6:22 — 14-8 Miami, timeout. Everyone seems to be getting their footing early, except Shane Battier, who has 2 threes and seems to already have his footing all set.

5:50 — Another Battier three! Yeah, I have no idea. 17-10 Miami.

4:58 — James Harden checks in and draws a roar from the crowd. A slew of fans in here are rocking fake Harden beards, including these two gents.

2:58 — A bucket from Chris Bosh, who checked in a couple minutes ago, makes it 24-14. Bosh’s performance (or, possibly, lack thereof) will be hugely important. You watched that Game 7, right?

2:44 — Heat up 24-15 going into another timeout. Their role players seem more focused, whereas OKC is basically all KD at the moment.

1:28 — They’re playing that Petey Pablo song “Freak-a-Leek” in here! Definitely didn’t have my money on that one.

0:00 — James Harden just went straight Drew League on Mario Chalmers to put in a bucket at the buzzer. Shook him both ways and fired up a jumper that touched all net. 29-22 Miami after one.

SECOND QUARTER

11:40 — Second quarter kicks off with a missed Dwyane Wade runner. DWade’s been quiet—seems safe to assume Miami is gonna look to get him going ASAP.

9:48 — Two LeBron freebies make it 35-24. Chesapeake gets quiet for 0.8 seconds before pumping back up to very loud once again.

8:59 — A Serge Ibaka bucket makes it 37-26 Heat. Chalmers gets called for a foul on the and-1, though from the replay it certainly looked like LeBron made the contact. Nice break for MIA, if I saw that correctly.

4:55 — Udonis Haslem easily tips in a put-back that infuriates this crowd. Can’t blame ‘em, I guess—the Thunder are supposed to be damn good at protecting that hoop. James Harden responds with a trey that infuses excitement right back into the audience.

3:08 — “Guess My Signature” being played during this timeout. 100 bucks if you can correctly figure out which player’s signature is on the big screen. It’s Nick Collison, obviously. The girl got it right, too, so now she gets the cash. Many congrats to her. 47-37 Miami with a few to go before half.

2:45 — “Freak-a-Leek” again! Chris Bosh drains a three, which has kind of been his thing as of late. Serge Ibaka answers with a mid-range J, and Wade answers that with a runner. 52-41.

31.4 — After a nice finish in transition, Russell Westbrook is called for a technical—but so is Shane Battier. Double Ts. Not sure why. 54-47 Heat after the bucket. OKC is teetering on sliding all the way back into this game, but Miami’s been good at keeping them just far enough away and curbing all sorts of momentum.

0:00 — 54-47 at the half. LeBron leads all scorers with 14 (and 4 steals), Shane Battier somehow has 13, and KD also has 13. A semi-quiet 6 assists for Westbrook, too.

THIRD QUARTER

12:00 — Analysis: If the Heat don’t miss any shots, which has pretty much been their successfully executed strategy, they aren’t going to lose. Basketball teams are so good when they don’t miss any shots.

11:00 — A KD trey and then one Thabo Sefolosha free throw pull the Thunder within 3. People are yelling! LeBron answers with a cold-blooded three. 57-51 Heat.

9:47 — Shane Battier misses a free throw, and now the crowd is ecstatic, presumably because this means the Shane Battier era is officially over.

7:48 — Some back-and-forth sloppy play before Thabo misses a dunk but is sent to the line, where he drains two free throws. This crowd is ready to pop the moment OKC pulls ahead, which seems like it’s going to happen any minute now, and I’m a little nervous because if they get any louder the roof might crack and I’m pretty much right under the roof, so presumably I’m first to go. Woah, speaking of the roof, t-shirts are parachuting from it down onto the crowd. A secret: There’s actually a dude up there (well, here) who’s just throwing them down. Sorry kids, t-shirt magic isn’t real. Miami up 58-57.

7:07 — Just realized everybody in this arena is standing. It’s the middle of the third quarter. Can’t be overstated.

6:26 — 60-60 TIE GAME IT’S SO LOUD oh Wade hits a runner and now the Heat are back up and it’s quieter again. Then LeBron hits another and it’s a little quieter. But now it’s loud again. Literally that was the time it took to get loud again. 64-60 Miami.

3:17 – Another Shane Battier three gives the Heat a 5-point lead, which falls back to 2 after a Kendrick Perkins bucket. That’s followed by a beastly LeBron slam, which he threw down over Perk, who also fouled him. Just mean. Also worth noting: That dunk came after LBJ just hopped right around KD, who simply cannot guard the League’s MVP one-on-one. A timeout gives the Thunder Drummers a chance to shine.

1:34 — “Thunderstruck” playing for the first time tonight, late in the third quarter. Pretty sure the “over” definitely won there.

0:45 — You’re not gonna believe this, but Derek Fisher couldn’t finish in transition while surrounded by younger, wildly athletic superstars. An ensuing Heat turnover leads to a Westbrook and-1, and now OKC has a chance to take the leader. Here we go. Pray for me.

0:00 — He sunk it and the Thunder go into the fourth up 74-73. Right when it fell in, the in-arena announcer said “Let’s see how loud you can get!” which was just cruel for those of us with eardrums to protect. Kidding. Free throw contest during the break.

FOURTH QUARTER

12:00 — “Thunderstruck” again, naturally.

11:00 — A few fouls slow things down, and then KD taps in an easy one to give OKC a 3-point lead. “Thunderstruck” again!

10:11 — Momentum has officially swung, as a pretty Fisher pass to Thabo for a lay-in gives the home team a 78-73 advantage. This should be the part where LeBron starts attacking the rack. If Coach Spoelstra is saying anything during this timeout except “this is the part where LeBron starts attacking the rack” then I’m not sure he’s saying the right things.

9:35 — The Heat move the ball like it’s a hot potato until Chris Bosh drives and is fouled by Nick Collison. Two shots: Wet, miss. 78-74.

8:54 — A KD jumper is followed by a Wade and-1, another foul coming from Collison. Tough one—he had good position and a charge might’ve been the right call. Loud boos, as you’d expect. The freebie makes it 80-77 OKC.

6:43 — A strong move from Bron makes it 84-81. KD answers with a trey, 87-81. Bosh answers that with a jumper, 87-83. KD answers that with a lay-up, 89-83. Lots of answering.

4:57 — Instead of taking Thabo one-on-one, Bron dishes to Battier who misses a three. Rebound goes over the hoop and out of bounds, OKC ball. Still 89-83. I’d say the crowd smells victory, because it does, but it did even when the Thunder were down 12 points in the first quarter, so you know. But yeah, they’re excited as hell.

4:57 — Timeout. A quick thought: Can we just go best of 11 in these Finals? Would any single person complain about that?

2:44 — Timeout, same score. Miami needs a quick run and a couple of immediate stops to get back into this one. The former is doable, but the latter feels highly unlikely. Durant and Westbrook are just too much right now. On the court, cheerleaders are dancing to Usher, and god are they having a good time doing so. These timeouts are a little long, if you ask me. Kinda momentum sapping.

2:44 — Game resumes after two LeBron freebies. 93-87.

2:29 — KD draws contact and heads to the line. Cash, cash. See why it’s tough to gain ground against this squad? MVP chants rain down from all angles.

1:54 — A Wade floater is followed by a Westbrook floater. LeBron then drives, is fouled, and finishes. Gorgeous. He connects on the freebie and it’s 97-92 OKC.

1:00 — Bosh misses an open three and this thing seems to be a wrap. Wow. Thunder gain possession, up 99-92.

0:44 — Foul on Battier, on the floor, but MIA is in the bonus. Thabo heads to the line and drains both. 101-92. Just about done here.

0:44 — Timeout, Miami. Needless to say, the Chesapeake Energy Arena is filled with the happiest Thunder fans in the history of happy Thunder fans. People are yelling whatever the Jumbotron tells them to yell, which at the moment is O-K-C.

0:36 — Ensuing possession is a Wade turnover, followed by a Collison dunk/dagger. 103-92.

That’s it. 105-94 is your final score, with the Thunder striking first and going up 1-0 in the Finals. Durant finishes with a strong 36 points, while Westbrook added 27 with 11 assists. LeBron dropped 30, though you can expect the sharks to be after him tomorrow and Thursday and for just about every minute leading up to Game 2′s tip-off.

Thanks for joining me, y’all. Expect a ton of Finals coverage on the site over the next week, and I’ll check in tomorrow afternoon with news and notes from the practices/media sessions. Peace.

Boston police are investigating an alleged stabbing that occurred immediately outside of TD Garden following Game 6. Witnesses say the suspect, allegedly wearing a Heat jersey, stabbed a Celtics fan on his right thigh with a switchblade-like knife. More details via the Boston Globe: “A 22-year-old college student was stabbed near the TD Garden last night after a fight over the Celtics game, which had just ended, Boston police said. The man was wounded in the right thigh after an altercation on Beverly Street at about 11:26 p.m., a police report stated. Boston police spokeswoman Nicole Grant said the victim was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. She said no one has been arrested in the incident. She described the suspect as a white male, 6 feet tall. He left the area with a group of people after the attack. The police report stated the incident began when two groups met on the street and ‘became vocal about the result of the Celtics game,’ which was a dispiriting loss to the Miami Heat. The suspect was included in a group of people who were wearing Miami Heat gear, the report said. The victim was in a different group. The report did not give details on the dispute. ‘The groups started to argue loudly and the unnamed suspect brandished a large switchblade and stabbed the victim in the right thigh,’ according to the report. The report said friends of the victim took a T-shirt and wrapped it on his wound. Police took custody of the T-shirt and logged it as evidence.”

Editor at Large, Lang Whitaker, lends some insight into the world of Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics, as well as all things Playoffs. Then, Louder Than A Bomb columnist Dave Zirin weighs-in on Blake Griffin, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and the dismal Bobcats. SLAM contributor Cub Buenning wraps up the episode with his thoughts on OKC heading into the Finals.

Gregg Popovich has watched Sam Presti rise from Spurs intern to Thunder GM, constructing a Spurs-like front office and Spurs-like team. Even after last night’s demoralizing Game 6 loss, Pop’s post-game remarks were laced with hints of pride (via Daily Thunder): “Gregg Popovich on OKC’s run: ‘As sad and disappointed as we are, you really have to think about it’s almost like a Hollywood script for OKC in a sense. They went through Dallas, last year’s champion, then they went through the Lakers, then they went through us. Those three teams represent 10 of the last 13 championships … I don’t know if anybody has ever had a run or gone through a playoff playing those kinds of teams. It’s just incredible and I think it’s pretty cool for them.’”

Fueled by the Big Ticket’s focus, energy and “Army-Navy-type” pushups, the Garden was dumb loud last night. Finishing up his media session after Game 3, Garnett made it clear he was meant to play in front of raucous fans, in do-or-die Playoff moments.

After enduring very physical matchups against the Knicks, Pacers and now the Celtics, Shane Battier has come around on the East being the more physical conference (via Miami Sun-Sentinel): “After a decade in the NBA, Shane Battier blew it off as mere bluster, the notion of the Eastern Conference being more physical. ‘I didn’t think it was real,’ he said as the Miami Heat prepared for this latest challenge against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals. But now, after six months in the East following 10 seasons in the Western Conference with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets? ‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘It’s real.’ [...] ‘It’s much more of a physical tempo. I guess ‘tempo’ is the right word,’ he said. ‘In the Western Conference, it’s much more free-flowing. The philosophies are more open, so, as a result, I think there’s less physical play.’ Battier acknowledged he was among those to scoff at the eastern bravado. ‘We always thought the Eastern Conference weren’t basketball players,’ he said with a hearty laugh. ‘We thought they were just thugs, unskilled thugs. Of course now, the tables are turned.’”

After getting fouled hard by Udonis Haslem, Kevin Garnett did eight pushups much to the crowd’s delight. Following the Celtics’ 101-91 victory, KG caught some flack from reporters for his droopy form, to which the Hall of Famer replied, “There’s very few who do [pushups] on their knuckles, so that’s some Army-Navy-type stuff. Yeah, knuckles.”

Many NBA coaches express the same thought about statistics. “If we have to look at the stats after a game to see why we lost, then we should not be coaching,” is a phrase that gets passed through coaching circles frequently.

In Game 3’s Heat-Celtics matchup, however, a few numbers tell most of the game’s tale in a nutshell: +27 and 38 percent, -17 and 84 percent, 25 and 4 all represent a large chunk of the storyline as to why the Celtics saved themselves from the brooms.

+27 represents the Celitics’ +/- when Kevin Garnett plays, and the 38 percent stands for the Heat’s shooting percentage while Garnett is on the floor, with the -17 and 84 percent being when Garnett is off the floor. Twenty-five and 4 stand for the amount of free throws LeBron James shot in Game 2 and in Game 3, respectively. See the major themes here?

Garnett, for lack of better words, controlled every aspect of the game. Rajon Rondo played another great game, but Garnett took control of the contest and refused to see the Celtics staring a 3-0 deficit in the face. His defensive tenacity and offensive assertiveness absolutely befuddled the Heat team to the point of exhaustion, and the Celtics players looked to get Garnett touches as much as possible.

Doc Rivers echoed this statement in the post-game press conference when referring to his message to his players about getting Kevin Garnett the ball. “One of the things we kept telling them was to throw it up. There’s nobody taller than him (Garnett) on the floor. Just throw it up in the air. Kevin will go get it.”

Rivers saw a chink in the Heat armor after Game 2 and decided to exploit it all game. The Celtics “just threw it up” to Garnett in the paint time after time, giving him dozens of chances to score at the rim while guarded by smaller defenders.

Rondo’s phenomenal vision on when to push the ball and when to pull it back played a huge role in Garnett’s big night, but the whole Celtics team in general brought a different attitude to Game 3. Call the Celtics old, aging, or tired, but you can’t call them heartless. They truly have too much pride to fall over and die on their home court, and the Celtics put themselves further from elimination on Friday night.

Give credit to LeBron for having another monster outing. For the second game in a row, the best outstanding performer in the series came away with a loss. LeBron’s statline of 34 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists proved how unguardable he can be.

Dwyane Wade made a few plays down the stretch to keep the Heat in the game, and Mike Miller’s three pointers closed the gap during a Heat run, but the frontcourt provided absolutely zero help for the Heat. Put the blame on the three big men (Ronny Turiaf, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony), but also blame coach Erik Spoestra for playing an incredibly small lineup for long stretches of the game. They spread the floor on offense and got a lot of huge buckets, especially during the late stretch in the fourth, but they flat out could not defend Garnett without any bigs in the game.

The bottom line: The Heat scored 14 points in the second quarter and dug themselves a hole they couldn’t climb out of. The Heat cannot afford to give the Celtics such a big head start, especially to a veteran team at home. The Celtics need to continue to drill the ball into Garnett until the Heat stop them, creating tons of fast break opportunities for Rondo and opening all shooters. If the Heat can’t figure out an answer for Garnett, they better stop the isolation offense and get up and down the floor. —Dave Spahn (@DaveSpahn)

Yo! Our Editor-in Chief, Ben Osborne, brings his opinion on all things conference finals. Then, we get breakdowns of each series from our experts. Eldon Khorshidikeys in on all things Celtics-Heat, and Royce Young of the Daily Thunder lets us know if OKC can rally back.

The guys from numberFire have been bringing us the NERD Team and NERD Player rankings all season long, harnessing the power of algorithmic modeling to better understand sports. The numberFire Efficiency Rating Derivative (NERD) better evaluates every player and team in the NBA using offensive and defensive efficiency numbers. With the Conference Finals underway, the NERD experts are bringing us more analysis—this time breaking down the Championship odds for each of the four remaining teams. Below are the Championship odds, as calculated by the NERDs. “Champs” refers to the team’s chances of winning the NBA Finals. “Off.” and “Def.” refer to the teams’ offensive and defensive ratings; these represent the points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. For specific game projections, click here.

The Thunder showed on Thursday night that they will not go down without a fight and despite San Antonio’s previous win streak, this series should be a lot closer than people anticipated after the 2-0 start. In fact, OKC and San Antonio are almost mirror images of one another. The Spurs and Thunder finished No. 1 and 2 in the League in offensive efficiency, scoring 110.9 and 109.8 points per 100 possessions respectively. Both also ended the season with the exact same 103.2 defensive rating. There are three main differences between the teams:

1. The Thunder turn the ball over at a much higher rate (on 15.3% of possessions vs. San Antonio’s 12.8%)

2. The Thunder get to the line at a much higher rate where they finished No. 1 in the NBA (averaging .269 free throws per field goal attempt vs. San Antonio’s middling .195)

3. The Thunder foul opponents at a much higher rate (opponents average .209 free throws per field goal attempt while the Spurs’ opponents average .168, No. 2 in the League)

Five of the six teams are the same in both cases. And the best matchup predictor? Lakers vs. Jazz in 2008. The two teams played 10 times that season, four times in the regular season and six in the Western Conference Semifinals. The Lakers won that series 4-2 and would eventually lose to Boston’s Big Three in the NBA Finals.

So, what does that mean for this series? Expect home court advantage to be the biggest factor. If any team is able to steal a game on the road, that will be the deciding factor. But, it is more likely that Game 7 in San Antonio will decide the Western Conference Champion.

The NERD power rankings are powered by numberFire, a sports analytics platform that uses algorithmic modeling to better understand sports. Follow Nik Bonaddio at @numberfire, and Keith Goldner at @drivebyfootball. Check out numberFire on Facebook.

Hampered by painful bone spurs in his ankles, Ray Allen‘s postseason struggles have been well-documented. And after playing 39 minutes and scoring just 6 points on 1-7 shooting in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he is considering sitting Allen out for a game. ESPN has the details: “’It’s a tough call with him,’ Rivers said Tuesday afternoon. ‘We’re trying to figure out a different minute rotation for him, maybe that will help him. We’re even considering sitting him for a game, getting him a longer rest and then playing him, and then sitting him for a game. We don’t know what the right thing is.’ Part of what makes Allen’s situation difficult is the Celtics don’t have great options behind him if he sits out a game. Avery Bradley, who had taken over the starting spot from Allen, is out for the rest of the playoffs after shoulder surgery. Losing Allen would thrust Mickael Pietrus into the starting lineup. ‘We don’t have a lot of options, with Avery out and then with Ray being injured,’ Rivers said. ‘MP (Pietrus) is going to have to be important. Whether Ray plays or not in games, I think MP is going to be big for us, he has to be.’”

It had become clear by this point that Boston was no match for Miami in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, so Kevin Garnett decided to send LeBron James a little message (with promises after the game for much more of the same next time out.) James’ response was telling: He simply, and dismissively laughed in his foe’s grill.

Memorial Day weekend marked the end of the second round of the NBA Playoffs and the beginning of the Conference Finals. Which means it’s time to look back at the best kicks from the Conference Semifinals—including LeBron James’ Nike LeBron 9 P.S. Elite Black/Metallic Gold, a colorway Nike had previously said we’d have to wait until the Finals to see. Which sneakers stood out from the second round?

After the NBA’s suspensions of Udonis Haslem and Dexter Pittman, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was quoted saying the NBA “does not have a problem” with Indiana committing hard fouls on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Spoelstra went onto accuse the Pacers of more than a dozen hits to the face of Miami’s players—”some of the tomahawk variety”—in the nine games between them this season. The League responded by fining Spoelstra $25,000 on Friday for “critical public comments” about officiating: “The NBA fined Miami coach Erik Spoelstra $25,000 on Friday for “critical public comments” about officiating in the Eastern Conference series with Indiana. Spoelstra made the comments before Miami’s shootaround Thursday in Indianapolis, hours before the Heat beat the Pacers in Game 6 to win the series. Spoelstra was quoted by several media outlets saying the NBA ‘does not have a problem’ with Indiana committing hard fouls on Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Spoelstra told reporters he counted more than 12 instances where Heat players were struck in the face by the Pacers this season.”

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/nba-fines-erik-spoelstra-25k-for-criticizing-officiating/feed/9SLAM Radio: Epitaphs Out Easthttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/slam-radio-epitaphs-out-east/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/slam-radio-epitaphs-out-east/#commentsFri, 25 May 2012 22:14:24 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=208906Who will face the Heat? And the battle of the small markets.

What’s up listeners! Editor-at-Large Lang Whitaker gives us his thoughts on the Playoffs as they wind down. Then lebronjames.com and SLAM contributor Dave Spahn wraps up everything about the Heat-Pacers series. Finally, we hear from regular contributor Cub Buenning about his predictions for Thunder-Spurs.

We broke this series down on paper, but as you can see, the Western Conference Finals will be clash of epic proportions. Laying highlights over Eric Turner’s “Angels and Stars,” Phoenix weaves his visual preview of the ’12 Playoffs’ biggest series.

As we reported earlier today, Allen Iverson was indeed in attendance at Game 6 of the Celtics-Sixers tilt in Philly tonight. After presenting the game ball, and getting a huge ovation from the fans, Iverson was interviewed from his seat and declared that he still very much wants to hoop in the NBA.

After sinking two early fourth-quarter jumpers over the 6-1 Derek Fisher, Kobe wasn’t taking too much credit. But Kobe did take a lot of playful shots at Fisher at the post-game press conference, calling him a “midget” and “5-2” (via CBSSports.com): “Bryant scored easily over Fisher on back-to-back possessions, by the way, to give the Lakers a 78-76 lead. ‘Same result as all the times we played one-on-one in the gym,’ Bryant said. ‘I love him, but he’s a midget.’”

“I don’t give a [expletive] what you say,” Bryant told Yahoo! Sports late Friday. “If I go out there and miss game winners, and people say, ‘Kobe choked, or Kobe is seven for whatever in pressure situations.’ Well, [expletive] you.

“Because I don’t play for your [expletive] approval. I play for my own love and enjoyment of the game. And to win. That’s what I play for. Most of the time, when guys feel the pressure, they’re worried about what people might say about them. I don’t have that fear, and it enables me to forget bad plays and to take shots and play my game.”

Like all the greats, Kobe has the mental part of the game figured out. The Lakers may play in Hollywood, but winning Championships is real.

The Sixers are growing before everyone’s eyes, rallying from 18 down to beat the Celtics in Game 4. Philly fans have been asking Andre Iguodala to step up. Well, Iggy did just that, burying 5 clutch points when it mattered most.

Russell Westbrook and MWP got tied up while going for the ball in the second quarter of Game 3. Westbrook threw an elbow to World Peace’s calf, and Metta followed with a what appeared to be an unintentional knee. Both were hit with Ts.

More second-round Playoff action. First, Editor-in-Chief Ben Osborne lets us in on what’s in store for SLAM 159. Then lebronjames.com and SLAM contributor, Dave Spahn cleans up the Heat-Pacers series. Finally, we hear from Nima Zarrabi who dishes on the L.A. teams looking for Ws at home.

The guys from numberFire have been bringing us the NERD Team and NERD Player rankings all season long, harnessing the power of algorithmic modeling to better understand sports. The numberFire Efficiency Rating Derivative (NERD) better evaluates every player and team in the NBA using offensive and defensive efficiency numbers. With the post-season underway, the NERD experts are bringing us more analysis—this time breaking down the Championship odds for each of the eight remaining teams. Below are the Championship odds, as calculated by the NERDs. “Champs” refers to the team’s chances of winning the NBA Finals. “Off.” and “Def.” refer to the teams’ offensive and defensive ratings; these represent the points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. For specific game projections, click here.

numberFire is a sports analytics platform that uses algorithmic modeling to better understand sports—and they’ve developed the numberFire Efficiency Rating Derivative (NERD) to better evaluate every team in the NBA using offensive and defensive efficiency numbers. The nerdier, the better, according to these guys. The NERD rating for teams shows complete production on both sides of the ball. The team ranking is on a scale from 0-100, with 50 as the League average. This ranking is predictive of the team’s ultimate winning percentage. For example, in the 2010-11 season, the Bulls ended with a 75.1 NERD rating—and a 75.6 win percentage. To calculate the NERD rankings we use the Four Factors, which are the factors most predictive in winning games: shooting, turnovers, rebounding, and fouls. Visit numberFire to check out a detailed explanation of the NERD stat for team efficiency and basketball efficiency stats in general.

The NERD power rankings are powered by numberFire, a sports analytics platform that uses algorithmic modeling to better understand sports. Follow Nik Bonaddio at @numberfire, and Keith Goldner at @drivebyfootball. Check out numberFire on Facebook.

Indiana may be young, but they’re ready to prove that they can to compete with the NBA’s finest. How will the Pacers respond against their biggest challenger yet? If this second-round series resembles LK12‘s epic preview mix, we’ll be in for one heck of a matchup.

Anything can happen in a Game 7, and tonight’s main event between the Lakers and Nuggets is no exception. Metta World Peace returns in this win-or-go-home battle, and Gotrare gives us a sick preview featuring a live performance of Linkin Park covering Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”.

With the Hawks down 81-79 with 3.1 seconds left, Al Horford was fouled by Marquis Daniels prior to the inbound pass. Officials ruled that the foul came after the ball was released, which resulted in another throw-in. The NBA admitted the refs made a mistake, and the Hawks should have received a free throw and the ball. Unfortunately, there is no recourse for Atlanta who suffered a season-ending loss on Thursday. Check out the play in question:

Magic Johnson, who still has ties to the Lakers organization, claimed that Mike Brown’s job would be in jeopardy if the L.A. loses Game 7 against the Nuggets tonight. The former Laker great had this to say during Friday’s NBA broadcast: “Should the Lakers lose Saturday in Game 7 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, Magic Johnson has a definite idea on what will happen next. ‘They’re going to run Mike Brown first out of town,’ Johnson said as an ESPN NBA analyst Friday. ‘Then second will be [Andrew] Bynum. Then third will be [Pau] Gasol.’ Whether that will happen remains unclear. The Lakers’ front office has publicly praised Brown’s performance as head coach in his first season. Brown, who makes an average of $4.5 million a year, has two more guaranteed years followed by a team option.”

We’re pushing toward the second round, and SLAM Radio has the action covered with its regular cast of characters. SLAM’s Editor at Large, Lang Whitaker swings through, Dave Zirin gives us his Playoff thoughts and Nima Zarrabi tackles all things L.A.

Blake’s Hyperdunks ripped apart in the first quarter of the Clippers’ 92-80 loss last night in Memphis. BG replaced his Elites, but he later sprained the same kneecap which caused him to miss his entire rookie season. Griffin will have an MRI on the knee Thursday in L.A.

According to a Thunder press release, Kendrick Perkins has a strained right hip, and there is no timetable for his return. The good news is Perkins will get time to rest after OKC swept the Mavs in the first round: “The Oklahoma City Thunder announced that an MRI today confirmed that Kendrick Perkins suffered a right hip muscle strain in last night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Perkins’ return to play will be based on his progress and recovery in the coming days.”

The Knicks lost Baron Davis for the rest of the series when BDiddy suffered a dislocated kneecap in the third quarter. Careful watching the video if you’re squeamish… Davis’ career may be over, but he helped New York survive with an 89-87 Game 4 victory.

With his hand swathed in bandages, Amar’e Stoudemire will start in Game 4 for the Knicks, according to coach Mike Woodson. All joking aside, New York needs a strong performance out of Stoudemire in order to avoid a sweep:

]]>http://www.slamonline.com/nba/amare-stoudemire-to-start-in-game-4/feed/12SLAMonlineSLAM Radio: The Playoff Showhttp://www.slamonline.com/nba/slam-radio-the-playoff-show/
http://www.slamonline.com/nba/slam-radio-the-playoff-show/#commentsFri, 04 May 2012 20:05:34 +0000http://www.slamonline.com/online/?p=205486What to do with Melo. What to do without DRose.

The Playoffs are in motion, and SLAM Radio has it covered. First, Editor-in-Chief Ben Osborne gives us his thoughts on the postseason so far. Then we get deep inside OKC/Dallas with Cub Buenning, and Bryan Crawford lets us in on how Chicago is going handle Philly without Derrick Rose.

After punching a glass case containing a fire extinguisher Monday, Amar’e Stoudemire has been ruled out for the rest of the Knicks’ first-round series against the Heat, according to the New York Times. There’s good news, though—the Knicks’ forward suffered no major ligament, tendon or nerve damage.

DRose suffered an apparent knee injury in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the 76ers. Rose left the game with about 1:10 remaining in a 103-91 blowout win and is at a local hospital, awaiting an MRI.

Previously listed as ‘probable,’ Ray Allen is now looking doubtful for the C’s Playoff opener against the Hawks. Allen told WEEI.com that he would have ankle surgery to remove bone spurs (same as ’07) immediately if the Playoffs weren’t beginning: “If the playoffs weren’t starting on Sunday, Ray Allen said he would get surgery on his ankle. He’ll need to have a procedure one way or the other at the end of the season. ‘Yeah, no question. If I could I would get surgery tomorrow,’ Allen said before the team conducted practice. ‘If this was earlier in the season I probably would have had surgery on it.’ Allen will make the trip to Atlanta, but it’s looking less and less likely that he’ll be able to play. ‘Honestly I don’t think he’ll play [Sunday], Doc Rivers said. ‘We’ll find that out. He’s just not moving well.’ Allen had a cortisone shot on Wednesday — his second since the injury he suffered against the Clippers in March — and he said this shot helped. The swelling has gone down, but the pain remains.”

The past couple of years have hosted some great 1 vs 8 seed matchups. From the Warriors-Mavericks upset in 2007 to last year’s Grizzlies-Spurs matchup, each first-round victory has become must-see TV.

The Spurs have been dominant this year, finishing the regular season with a 50-16 record. They bolstered the bench by acquiring Stephen Jackson, and allowing Manu Ginobili to slowly nurse himself back to health from a broken hand early in the season.

The Jazz have been one of the surprises of the season, combining young talents like Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors with seasoned vets Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson. The Jazz have been great at home this year as well, at 25-8.

Look out in this series for many adjustments, great play execution and out-of-timeout plays. I can see many of these games going down to the wire.

This is probably the most interesting matchups of the series. Tony Parker is having an MVP-caliber season for the Spurs. His speed and relentless attacking of the rim are hard to stop with the shooters Pop has surrounded him with. With most point guards on an island defensively, Parker has capitalized this year. Devin Harris has been one of the most unpredictable players this year. In the first half of the year, he looked disinterested and seemed as if he was going through the motions. In the second half, he improved across the board in all categories. A former All-Star himself, Devin is a force when locked in. For Jazz fans, only time will tell which mindset he is in.

Danny Green is finding comfort in his new role as the starting shooting guard for the Spurs. He usually benefits most when teams lag off him to help stop Parker. Danny possesses a smooth stroke from behind the arc. Gordon Hayward is growing as a player each and every night. As the Jazz have increased his minutes and shots, he has found his game this year. In the second half of the season, he posted lines of 14 points, 4 boards and close to 50 percent from the field. The X-factor to his game is the free-throw attempts, which are close to 5 per with him shooting 86 percent.

Leonard is an athletic forward who has benefited from the trade of Richard Jefferson to the Warriors. He is still finding his game on offense, but on defense, he has played great in Pop’s system. Carroll’s game is very similar—a glue guy. He’s going to start the game out with energy, defend and rebound.

Despite his limited minutes this year (28 per game), Timmy D has been very efficient, posting a stat line of 15 points, 9 rebounds and close to 2 blocks per. The idea was to keep his legs fresh for the Playoffs. Paul Millsap has developed into quite the player. He is extremely efficient—shooting close to 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line—which, for a big man, is amazing. The close to 2 steals and a block per game is a testament to his defense; he has active hands and gives his all every possession. His greatest off-season improvement has been his ball handling; he has shown so much improvement that the Jazz run him sometimes at small forward. If Tim is he is hitting shots, and the former League MVP is forced to leave the comforts of the paint, it could lead to trouble.

Blair is a solid post player for the spurs. He has a nice touch in the post but is limited due to his lack of size (he stands at 6-6 on a good day and 270 after a light lunch) in regards to rebounding. He is the perfect example of what my old high school coach would call a “land dweller” with “heavy legs.” Al Jefferson may be one of the biggest All-Star Game snubs of the year. He has regained his form, pre-knee injury, and is posting close to 20 points and 10 rebounds per, while shooting close to 50 percent from the field. I cannot see how Blair will be able to stop him from getting on both sides of the floor.

Advantage: Jazz

Bench: Spurs vs Jazz

The Spurs have the best bench in basketball. Crafty veterans Stephen Jackson and Manu Ginobili wreak havoc on opposing second units. Utah has been using its second unit to ease young players into the NBA, with guys like Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks. Utah uses a guard rotation of Jamaal Tinsley and CJ Miles to give them a veteran presence.

Advantage: Spurs

Coach: Gregg Popovich vs Tyrone Corbin

Pop is one of the elite coaches in the game. Few have been able to make the game-by-game adjustments as smoothly as he does. What amazes me about Pop is how he always has his players in position on out-of-timeout plays as well as on both sides of the ball. Corbin has done a great job in his first full year running the Jazz. He has kept the blueprint of the Jazz intact in regards to great execution of the half-court offense.

Advantage: Spurs

Prediction: The Spurs’ style of play—the grind it out half-court game—is actually very similar to the Jazz. The Jazz are at their worst when they play a team that likes to run and score a lot in transition, which the Spurs don’t look too much. The Spurs have the Playoff experience and roster depth to compete with any team, but they lack in one huge area: size.

Outside of Duncan, the rest of the team is quite small in the frontcourt. Utah on the other hand, is one of the biggest teams in the postseason, with a front line of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter. The fact that they are extremely efficient big men from the free-throw line also can mean a lot of trouble from San Antonio.

We also should acknowledge that traditionally Utah is considered one of the harder teams to beat at home (25-8 this year), and if the Jazz can protect home, I can see another first-round upset on the horizon.

Meir edits some amazing highlights over Cee Lo’s looping bassline, to create a big mix just in time for opening night of the 2012 Playoffs. The Hoops4Life mixer captures the bright lights surrounding the most anticipated first-round series of the ’12 Playoffs. Check out Meir’s mix now, and play it again right before the Knicks and Heat tip-off at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Atlanta’s Zaza Pachulia has opened a restaurant and appeared on CNN over the past four years. Still, the only thing most folks care to remember about the 6-11 titan from Tbilisi is the headbutt he put on Boston’s Kevin Garnett back in the ’08 Playoffs. The Hawks and Celtics have played mad times since then, but that highlight just won’t die. For TNT, it’s good TV. For the city of Atlanta, it’s a symbol of strength that pops up on the jumbotron whenever the mood hits.

But the Hawks aren’t coming into this ’12 series as the same scrappy lil’ guys who want to simply make another good impression on the big boys. If anything, these Hawks (40-26) are out to prove that they belong on that same second tier with Boston (39-27) on the NBA’s power ladder. The Cs won the season series 2-1, but the games were all very close. Had a rebound gone this way and a foul called that way, the series could have easily turned to the Birds’ favor.

The folks in Vegas who know that info but still choose to go with Boston in the matchup are doing so only because of the jerseys. Allen, Pierce and Rondo’s names still have more cache than Johnson, Teague and Williams’. But, folks, this ain’t 2008! Kevin Garnett is not walking through that locker roo—wait, yes he is. It’s just that the ice pack and limp are causing a delay in his strut.

The Hawks won’t come out and say it, but they would have loved more consistency from Teague this season. In last year’s Playoffs, the spunky PG gave DRose fits, defending well and scoring over 20 a few times. He had some moments this year, but overall, there were too many 8/4 snorefests to think he’ll explode now. Rondo won’t do much offensively either, of course, but his game-management skills are second to none. We all know about the League-leading 11.7 apg, but what should scare the Hawks is his ridiculous assist-to-turnover margin.

Ray Allen has been dealing with ankle injuries on and off since January. Thankfully for the Cs, Avery Bradley has eased the loss of the sharpshooter by having a coming-out April (eight games of 15+ more). Boston coach Doc Rivers does expect Allen to be a contributor somewhere in the series. The best way for Hinrich to contribute is by playing formidable D and hitting any open Js.

Yeah, we’ve noticed the same thing you have. Paul has lost a few steps off the dribble. But give Doc credit. He’s given his future Hall of Famer lots of rest over the past few weeks. He’s going to have lots of spring for what could be his last hurrah in Beantown. As for Joe, he’s got no time to worry about Pierce’s stamina. He needs to make sure No-Show Joe gets lost on his way to the arena. In last year’s postseason, the $120-million man had 5- and 10-point stinkers. He may need security if he repeats that showing.

How Josh hasn’t been named an All-Star is one of the League’s bigger mysteries. How he’s re-channeled the slight into a beautifully balanced campaign (18/10/4) is beyond us too. And to think, he’s done all of this in the same paint decimated by Al Horford’s season-long absence and Pachulia’s recent ailments. Across the way is Bass. It’d be silly to expect the hard-working big to keep J-Smoove quiet. If Boston gets 10 and 6 out the 4-hole every night, they’ll be content.

What should have been an area for the Hawks to exploit has turned into one they’ll just try to get by in. With Big Al and ZaZa questionable, it’s gonna be a heavy dose of Jason “Twin” Collins and Ivan “9 to 5” Johnson. Those names won’t scare anybody, but Johnson’s April (Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Month) should at least get KG’s attention. Playing with a renewed vigor for a few months now, Garnett won’t much care who’s defending him. The man wants another ring and he’ll be damned if Ivan, ZaZa or anyone else’s forehead tries to stop him.

Advantage: Celtics

Bench: Celtics vs Hawks

With most of the Hawks’ bench bigs thrust into major roles, it’s going to be up to the smaller guys (Jannero Pargo, Willie Green, Tracy McGrady, Marvin Williams) to energize the second wave. No reason why they can’t. It’s looking like Allen might anchor the C’s bench the first few contests. The team’s gonna need his points to cover other deficiencies—like the fact no one else on the pine is really worth mentioning here.

Advantage: Hawks

Prediction: Doc Rivers has managed the workload of his aging crew quite well. As for Atlanta coach Larry Drew, he’s been cool, calm and calculating in clogging up the Hawks’ frontcourt in an All-Star’s absence. Both sideline generals will be put to the test in this series. Emotions will be through the roof every night. But because the Hawks were able to gut out home-court advantage, they’ll win, likely ending the Big 3 era in Boston.

Can you imagine a Pacers-Magic series with both teams full strength in the first round? The very first round?! Forget about the Bulls, Heat and the rest of the Eastern Conference, the Pacers-Magic series had a chance to be special.

Each team plays in a relatively small market and thirsts for a Championship. This was supposed to be the “make or break” Playoff series for Dwight Howard as a member of the Magic. This was supposed to be the series that essentially defined Howard’s history. Will he begin to dominate games like most hoped for? Or would he be good, not great, leading to his departure out of Orlando?

We may not be getting the most intense first-round battle in the past few years, but we will be getting one heck of a series. Think about it: How badly does the Magic squad want to shut up the world and win without Dwight? Is there a less appreciated, more upset group of players in the NBA than this current Magic squad? Is there anyone in the world who wants to win this series more than Stan Van Gundy?

On the flip side, how sick are the Pacers of hearing about their “big brother” in the north and the Heatles down south? Who will emerge as the leader of a Pacers team that has the depth and legs to contend with anyone in the NBA? Is this the year the Pacers prove once and for all they have recovered and are back from the Reggie Miller era? Is this group equally as ticked off as the Magic at how little respect/love they’re getting from their own frickin’ home state, much less the world media?

After the injury to Darren Collison, Hill slid into the Pacers starting lineup late in the regular season and more than proved his worth as a starter. In his last nine games, he averaged nearly 14 ppg, 5.3 apg and is shooting 44.7 percent from the field. Without Howard, however, look for Nelson to take matters into his own hands more often. He scored 15.3 ppg in his last nine games compared to his season total of 11.9. Nelson’s minute total and usage total should both increase this series.

The shooting guard position should be the biggest mismatch for Indiana. George boasts a solid 5 inches, 25 pounds, and a heck of a lot more athleticism over Redick. Redick’s career-high, 31-point outburst against the Bobcats earlier this week may give him some shooting confidence for the series, but let’s be real here; it came against the Bobcats. Redick will struggle to get his shot off against George’s length and athleticism, and George should look to expose Redick while attacking the rim as well.

Granger has stepped up his play in April, netting 21.6 ppg over his season average 18.7. Richardson may look to start volume shooting with Howard’s departure, which will turn out very poorly for the Magic. According to Synergy Sports, Jason Richardson converts his “Short” jumper in the half court—17 feet and closer—14.8 percent of the time. He scored 24 points inside 17 feet on 48 possessions, which ranks in the bottom 7 percent of the League. Granger should exploit JRich’s weak shooting and help his big men clean the glass.

The power forward battle should prove to be the best position battle of the series by far. Anderson opened the eyes of every die-hard NBA fan and became the go-to guy in the post-Howard part of the Magic’s season. Synergy claims Anderson at the 94 percent for Jump shots in the half court, converting 61.2 percent of those jumpers. He positioned himself in the upper part of the League’s face-up 4 men, which is exactly what he will look to do against the Pacers. His counterpart, David West, will bring a much-needed veteran presence in the Playoffs to a young Pacer team. West will have his hands full with Anderson throughout the series, but he showed how valuable his defense has been to the Pacers all season long. He has allowed only 42 points in 68 possessions when guarding the pick and roll and going back to his man, ranking 84 percent in the League.

Talk about a strange matchup. Davis gives up at least 6 inches on Hibbert yet has a good 30 pounds on him. Hibbert should control this matchup with his length and will disrupt Davis’ shot attempts with relative ease. The All-Star center boasts 12.8 ppg and 8.8 rpg on the season and will thrive off put-back points in the series. Sorry Glen, but the height advantage may be a little more than you can handle this time.

Advantage: Pacers

Bench: Pacers vs Magic

They may not have the “Bench Mob” title or have their own website, but the Pacer bench proves to be the second deepest in the Eastern Conference. Tyler Hansbrough started most games last season before the addition of David West and provides some low-post scoring off the bench. George Hill seamlessly slid into the starting lineup, which means “Born Ready” may get his chance to shine in the postseason. Leandro Barbosa will give the Pacers quality minutes on the wing, and “LOUUUUUUUUU” Amundson brings a certain level of toughness and grit that can’t be taught. For the Magic, when your backups include Chris Duhon, Von Wafer, Justin Harper, Quentin Richardson and Daniel Orton, you do this…

Advantage: Pacers

Prediction: Talk about an all-out slugfest. These two teams have something to prove and want to get their point across badly. Two tough nosed, blue collar, badass teams will collide in Indianapolis on April 28 at 7 p.m. EST. As much as the Magic want to prove their worth without Dwight, their efforts should not knock off the deep and young Pacers. I don’t know about you guys, but I am expecting one heck of a show.

After making comments about wanting to avoid the “tougher team” in the Miami Heat in the first round, Philly and Chicago square off in Game 1 at high noon (no joke) this Saturday at the United Center. Evan Turner has a slightly one-sided rivalry with Derrick Rose that dates all the way back to when the two were in high school, and although he insisted he meant no disrespect by essentially calling the Bulls out, Turner is on the verge of learning a hard lesson about not providing your opponent with bulletin board material.

That aside, there’s no question the Bulls and Sixers match-up well against one another. Over the past two seasons the two teams have split their head-to-head matchups, 3-3. Chicago went 2-1 against the Sixers this season and actually won a game on Philadelphia’s home floor without Derrick Rose.

Of course the health of DRose is on the minds of everyone these days. The Bulls have been able to win with him on the sidelines during the regular season, but they don’t give trophies for that.

So is DRose healthy, or isn’t he? That’s the only thing people want to know—not just in this series, but throughout the Playoffs. We find out starting tomorrow.

Rose has missed 26 games this season with turf toe, a bad back, a pulled groin and a sprained ankle. He’s still trying to round himself back into shape and going up against Holiday should be a good test for him. Jrue has emerged as the PG of the future in Philly and he’s played well all season long, missing just one game in the 66-game condensed NBA schedule. The advantage here still goes to the Bulls, however. DRose may not be 100 percent, but even if he’s at 85 percent, that should still be enough to win the head-to-head matchup with Holiday in this series.

Hamilton, like Rose has also missed a bulk of the season due to injury, but he’s looked much improved in Chicago’s last few regular-season games and appears to have his Playoff legs ready. Turner, since being placed in the starting lineup by Doug Collins, has played remarkably well and one would think his youth and activity is what gives him the edge in this matchup. But don’t count out Rip. He’s a wily veteran than knows all the tricks of the trade and, with the way Chicago runs him off multiple screens in their offense, that’s going to take a lot out of Turner. Especially if Hamilton is healthy.

Both Deng and Iguodala are coming off solid campaigns where both were named All-Stars for the first time in their careers. Head-to-head this season, neither player has really gotten the best of the other, and that’s pretty much the way it’s been throughout their careers. Iguodala obviously has the edge athletically both in transition and on defense, but Deng counters with being very skilled in the half-court offensively, and he’s one of the NBA’s best defenders in his own right. No clear edge here.

Carlos Boozer rebounded from his disaster of a season last year and was really the only mainstay in Tom Thibodeau’s starting lineup during the regular season. He started all 66 games this year, and although his per game averages across the board are down, he was definitely solid for the Bulls this year. Brand, on the other hand, had a very quiet and unassuming season in Philly this year. His scoring dipped 4 points per game since last season, and although he’s still solid, he’s not the player he once was. Carlos Boozer has clear advantage over Brand in this matchup.

Spencer Hawes is the most logical to start at center for the Sixers in this series. Hawes is certainly the better matchup with Noah because of his ability to score and rebound the ball. But there’s no question Joakim is the better of the two players. His energy around the basket combined with his passing ability gives him the edge, and he shouldn’t have a problem outplaying Hawes in this series.

Advantage: Bulls

Bench: Bulls vs Sixers

Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young are the Sixers’ best two players off the bench. And on most nights, against most teams during the Playoffs where rotations are shorter, their combined play would be enough to win a few games. But Thibodeau has the luxury of going 10-deep off the bench with CJ Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, Taj Gibson and Omer Asik. That’s as short as it gets.

Advantage: Bulls

Prediction: Philadelphia can legitimately win two games in this series, especially if Derrick Rose isn’t able to perform at a high level. But if he is able to play up to DRose basketball and if Hamilton can find his rhythm early in the series, combined with bench play and team defense, this series could go five games. But credit goes to Philly for playing hard on the defensive end as well. The Sixers should be able to win a game and steal one in this series, but the Bulls will still be able to come out on top.

Responsibility. Glory. Reputation. Validation. Legacy. Revenge… Whatever motivates this year’s NBA Champion, every game matters from here on out. Gotrare preps us for the postseason with a mix complete with emotions and thrilling highlights. Stay tuned throughout the Playoffs for more from the Hoops4Life crew.

Welcome to the second season—with the Playoffs starting on Saturday, Jordan Brand is releasing brand new colorways of the Jordan CP3.V, Melo M8 and the Fly Wade 2 EV for its trio of postseason-bound sneaker endorsers. Each gets a home and away model representing his team’s colors. Here are the availability details, via Jordan Brand:

The Jordan CP3.V in White/Sport Red-Treasure Blue and Sport Red/White-Treasure Blue will be available on Wednesday, May 9 for a suggested retail price of $120.

The Jordan Melo M8 in Anthracite/White-Team Orange and Anthracite/White-Varsity Royal will be available on Wednesday, May 9 for a suggested retail price of $135.

The Jordan Fly Wade 2 EV in Gym Red/White-Black is currently available for a suggested retail price of $145. Additionally, the White/Black-Metallic Silver-Gym Red colorway and the Stealth/White-Cool Grey colorway will be available on Wednesday, May 16.

To say that a first-round series involving the defending Champs could possibly be a mismatch is certainly no stretch. Many title-holders head into the following year’s postseason are primed for another long spring run in hopes of another Championship.

This year, however, we might have the exact opposite.

The Dallas Mavericks head into Saturday’s Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a much different spot than when these two teams met in last year’s Western Conference Finals. Limping into the postseason as a 7-seed and with a far different cast of characters on the roster, the Mavs are not the same team.

Just watching the League this season seemed like every Dallas home game involved someone who was getting a ring “after the fact” from the organization—all while wearing another team’s uniform. Yes, the familiar faces of Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Brendan Haywood are still around, but gone are Caron Butler, JJ Barea, Corey Brewer and most importantly, Tyson Chandler. This is not the same team.

Meanwhile, the Thunder have changed too. They’ve grown a year older, gotten more experience and even added a guy who has a handful of rings in Derek Fisher. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the cover faces of the burgeoning Oklahoma City franchise, and for good reason. While many players get named to the All-Star Game, All-NBA honors are far tougher to garner. These two can be penciled-in to either the All-NBA First- or Second-Team for the next decade.

Throw-in a long cast of capable supporters, and you have a team that is sure to sit atop not only the Northwest Division, but quite possibly the entire Western Conference for that same amount of time. Remember, this team’s core of Westbrook, Durant, James Harden and Serge Ibaka are all 23 years of age of younger.

But there is one more piece to this puzzle in Oklahoma City that gives such promise. That would be the brilliant mind pulling the strings from the front office. Simply put, general manager Sam Presti is the best in the business. He has already put the future in place by signing his key guys to impressive, but not back-breaking deals. He has built not only a young core that plays an exciting brand of ball, but he has surrounded them with a group of veteran role players who “get it.”

The question of whether the young ones, and not the current title-holders, are truly ready to break through and represent the Western Conference has been an underlying, unspoken discussion for the past two seasons. This weekend, the Thunder will begin to answer that query.

The old and the new guard of floor generals match-up again. Kidd was born a point guard—always was pass-first—while Russ is the new breed of athletic, scoring 2-guards who have developed the skills necessary to run a team after being drafted. Kidd can still do work, knock-down key shots and set-up his guys in spots to be successful. Westbrook though, is looking to explode this postseason, and his mix and speed, strength and athleticism will be too much for the combo of Kidd and Rodrigue Beaubois to handle.

I am choosing these groupings, as the actual matchup we will see for the majority of games will involve bench impresarios James Harden and Jason Terry (will get to those below). There is little between these groups, but the defense put forth by Thabo and the spot-scoring by Cook is similar to what the Mavs will get from their duo.

The Matrix is a perfect fit for this Dallas team, as he can still score the ball from the perimeter or at the rim. While his defense is not what it used to be, he can still frustrate opposing scorers. But his match in this series just happens to be the best scorer on the planet. KD is primed and ready for this postseason and some revenge on the Mavs should only sweeten his “motivation pot.” Durant is ready. Mavs can’t stop him.

The growth and maturation of Ibaka has continued and while he didn’t make major leaps this season, he is still the perfect compliment to the dynamic duo of Westbrook and Durant. Dirk is still Dirk and will get his points and lead his team through bouts of offensive inconsistency. The question was always whether Dirk had enough “around him,” to get to the next level. Last year, that was in place and we know the results. This year’s team is just different.

The Kendrick experiment in last year’s post-season run was a complete failure for OKC. This year has not been “earth shattering” either, but he did perform at or near his career averages and his place and role on this team is solidified. Not much different on the other side of the ledger. Haywood does similar work at a similar rate, so I don’t see much difference between the two. I would have played the “Perk has a ring argument,” but can’t make that after last year.

Each team has some great bench guys to rely on, as Harden and Terry are arguably the League’s two most explosive and important players who don’t hear their names in the starting line-ups. Brooks has grown as a coach and seems to be more than comfortable leaning on guys and sitting others when necessary. Harden’s health appears to be in order giving OKC a creator and a scorer from several positions. Carlisle is solid and a good in-game coach, but Harden is the difference maker.

Advantage: Thunder

Prediction: Even when I try to give Dallas reasons to steal just one game, I find holes in that very same argument. I see this series going only one way.

Less than six months removed from a PR nightmare that nearly saw the NBA lose the regular season in its entirety, the rigorous regular season left behind a whirlwind of stories, injuries and memorable performances. I won’t sit here and bore you with a season recap since you will surely be bombarded with those types of pieces over the next 24 hours, but I will say this—David Stern’s legacy should (and most likely will) be tarnished.

With one day of rest between the regular season and the Playoffs, players will be limping into the “real” season. Despite all the injuries, elbows, tanking and teams relocating, Stern still got exactly what he wanted: a first-round matchup between the Knicks and Heat. It’s a series that will surely trump every other story surrounding the NBA at the moment and provide great theater over the next few weeks.

Not only do the two teams have a well-documented, violent history with each other, the series will feature: Four of the biggest and most marketable stars playing in the NBA; the potential MVP; the potential Defensive Player of the Year; three guys with rings; and arguably the hottest player in the game right now. Both teams have had been under a microscope all season and the drama is bound to intensify.

Is this the year LeBron wins that elusive ring? Who takes the shots in crunch time for Miami? Can Melo continue to carry the team on his back? Are the Knicks finally living up to the pre-season hype?

Remember Jeremy Lin? It almost seems like the whole thing never even happened. Now the Knicks roll into the Playoffs with a point guard rotation of Davis/Mike Bibby/Toney Douglas/Iman Shumpert—a crop that won’t be keeping the Heat up at night. While Davis has been playing at least a little bit better as of late, he’s not healthy and has been a walking turnover for New York. The Knicks can’t afford to turn the ball over since the Heat thrive in the open court and will need at least average play from the point to have a shot. For Miami, Mario Chalmers is a guy who can provide a spark plus he’s a confident player who has a track record of hitting big shots (‘08 NCAA Championship, anybody?) and as long as he plays within himself he’ll remain on the court. If all else fails Miami can just slide LeBron over to the 1 where he has the ability to take over a game.

Dwyane Wade has been bothered by a litany of injuries—which caused him to sit for 17 games this season—and is hurting coming into the series thanks to a dislocated finger he suffered last week. Of course, Wade won’t let the injury hold him back, and he will be out competing in full force. But Shumpert can match him both physically and athletically and may cause problems on the defensive end. While Landry Fields will most likely get the start, Shumpert will probably see a majority of the minutes due to his defensive prowess and ability to match-up with Wade. But, this is also the rook’s first time in the Playoffs, while Wade is a vet with Championship experience and still has the ability to take over a game. Shump will win a few battles throughout the series, but DWade will ultimately win the war.

Getting the chance to see these two duke it out over a series will be a real treat to watch. Here are two of the most physically gifted players in the game pitted against each other while they are both playing some some of the best basketball of their careers. LeBron just wrapped up one of the best seasons of all time, is the favorite in the MVP race, and is fully focused on winning a ring. After being maligned for much of the season, Melo has been on a tear down the stretch. Everyone knows he can score, but what has been most surprising is the effort he has put forth on the defensive end. While it’s pretty certain that LeBron will do more for his team overall, this matchup is a push due to their crunch-time tendencies. It boils down to a simple question: When the game is on the line, who do you want taking the last shot? I’m taking Carmelo all day and twice on Sundays.

I was shocked to see that Bosh and STAT’s season splits are identical. To say that both of these guys have underperformed would be an understatement. While I can sympathize for STAT who has been battling what seems like a serious back injury and the loss of his brother, Bosh’s performance has been inexplicable. It would seem that after a year of playing with two of the best players in the world, he would be able to take advantage of his role and average 20 and 10 a night; but he just doesn’t. Even though both have underwhelmed, they each have shown in the past that they can dominate so I won’t count them out just yet.

The combination Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem will provide a decent presence in the paint for the Heat, but let’s be honest: This matchup is all about Tyson Chandler. Chandler was, simply put, the best signing of the offseason. The center came in and completely changed the culture of the organization and turned the Knicks into a top-10 defensive team (statistically, anyway). His hustle, enthusiasm and hard work have been contagious in the locker room and the Knicks owe a huge part of this Playoff appearance to his performance. The center should win Defensive Player of the Year and his presence may swing the series in the Knicks’ favor.

Advantage: Knicks

Prediction: This matchup will live up the hype. While the Heat have the better starting five, the Knicks are much deeper and have lethal shooters in JR Smith and Steve Novak coming off the bench. If they can get hot, and stay hot, throughout the series, the Heat will be in trouble. But, Miami is also one of the top defensive teams in the NBA and if the Knicks go on any sort of extended cold stretch or have turnover problems, they will get run over. The first two games in South Beach will be crucial and with all eyes on this series and a few games sure to come down to the wire, LeBron will fold under the pressure just enough for New York to capitalize and steal one of the first two games. The Garden will be rockin’ once the Knicks return home and Melo has been unstoppable. Combine that with the Knicks’ depth, their loyalty toward Coach Woodson and the presence of Tyson Chandler, and New York moves on, making for another historic chapter in the Knicks-Heat Playoff feud.

The Playoffs are around the corner and SLAM is answering with a little pre- post-season hoops talk. Editor-in-Chief, Ben Osborne, stops by and gives his thoughts on the final Playoff push and the gets asked about “tanking.” We get the inside scoop on all things L.A. when Myles Brown gives us a locker room view on Kobe and the Lakers, and Nima Zarrabi drops some knowledge about the Clips and Western Conference Playoff picture.

SLAM 158 is out, and we’re gearing up for the Playoffs. Lang Whitaker gives a rundown on Eastern Conference powers Chicago and Miami, Dave Zirin brings us to the Edge of Sports and Royce Young gives us the inside scoop on the OKC Thunder and the Western Conference.